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narrator: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... brett: you know as somebody coming out of college, it can be very nerve wracking, not knowing what to expect, whether you'll like your job or not, whether you'll make friends, whether you'll fit in, and here i feel like it's so welcoming and such an inclusive place to work, you just feel like you're valued. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation, the judy and peter blum kovler foundation, upholding freedom by strengthening democracies at home and abroad. announcer: and now, bbc news. ♪ >> is bbc world news america. canada announces levies on more than $20 billion worth of u.s. goods after washington imposes 25% tariffs on all steel and

aluminum imports. the u.s. top diplomat urges russia to accept a 30 day truce as he arrives in canada for g7 talks. the bbc gains rare access to the drugs and business along the u.s.-mexico border as president trump promises a crackdown. welcome to world news america. a global trade war is intensifying after the u.s. imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. hours after the tariffs went into effect today, canada announced tariffs on $20 billion worth of u.s. goods, saying it will not back down. the eu says it will impose tariffs on $28 billion worth of u.s. goods starting next month. china vowed to take, quote, all necessary measures to safeguard its rights and interests. australia and the u.k. have so

far held off from retaliatory action. economic uncertainty could spark a recession in the u.s., but i was ago trump said he is ready to impose further tariffs on the eu if they follow through with plans. >> the european union treats us very badly. they are doing what they should be doing perhaps for the european union but it creates ill will, and as you know we will be doing reciprocal tariffs. whatever they charge us, we will charge them. nobody can complain about that. it doesn't matter what it is, if they charge us 25 or 20% or 10% or 2% or 200%, that is what we are charging them. i don't know why people get upset about that because there is nothing more fair than that. >> donald trump speaking about the european union but we mentioned canada imposing retaliatory tariffs today.

for more, let's bring in our foreign correspondent from cbc news. good to see you on bbc news. tell us about what these retaliatory tariffs from canada will impact. >> these are everything ranging from a series of retaliatory tariffs, everything from orange juice from florida to other goods imported into canada involving textiles. this is the latest escalation we are seeing from canada to the u.s.. yesterday we saw the escalation hit a fever pitch. ontario's premier threatened a surcharge on electricity flowing from ontario into three northern states which prompted threats from president trump to double the tariff on steel and aluminum from 25%-50%. both sides eventually agreed to back down. the white house views this as a win, that americans avoided extra taxes on electricity from

ontario but steel and aluminum are being hit with a 25% tariff on canada. the trade war continues. >> you mentioned the ontario premier doug ford. people will come to washington. tell us what we can expect from negotiations with the trump administration. >> forge agreed to suspend surcharges after the commerce secretary spoke to him over the phone and agreed to meet with him tomorrow so the premiere along with a federal delegation, canadian ministers, there are two objectives. canada needs a win. there will either be a deal, perhaps a positive other tariffs set to kick in april 2. there is a trilateral deal between canada, the u.s. and mexico called the usmca. the white house agreed to pause tariffs on any of those items covered by the usmca, but those are supposed to kick in april 2 so there is pressure for canada

to pause or reprieve them, from the canadian side kick start negotiations on the usmca. my sense is that canada is under pressure but will they get the wind they want? there is high-stakes ahead of the meeting tomorrow. >> great to see you, richard. thanks for joining us. let's speak about this with canada's minister of innovation, science and industry who joins us now. good to have you with us. >> thank you very much. >> i want to start asking about retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion worth of goods. what is your intent on what these tariffs will do? >> it is $29.8 billion, close to 30 not -- $30 billion. there should be no surprise in america that we will stand firm. we will have a dollar for dollar retaliation.

the bigger picture is that we can't let uncertainty become the new certainty in america. i was looking at press this morning saying it is the wild west on the factory door because -- floor because yesterday, you saw double tariffs, no tariffs, it is becoming difficult to manage business. you don't need to take it from me. the markets have spoken. something close to $4 trillion in market capitalization wiped out. ceos have spoken. ford, union leaders have spoken, we need to get back to a place where we can sit down, deal with the issue and establish a process where we have more normalcy and predictability. otherwise, it is going to make north america and america less competitive, and these days economic security is national security so i'm certain. >> it is concerning. can i jump in?

you said it is important to get back to the negotiating table. it is the intent that retaliatory tariffs are part of the negotiation tactic? >> we need to stand firm. that is what we have seen all along. i was the minister of foreign affairs during the first trump administration and they respect when people stand strong. i would say to our friends, we are seeing a wave in canada, a tsunami is coming your way. at the end of the day, the american people start to understand that for example, the tariffs on canada is attacks on americans. pickup trucks, groceries and gas will be more expensive. we don't do that lightly. by necessity, we responded to about. we have to stand strong for industry. you have seen, imagine, candidate is the largest customer for the united states.

we buy more from the united states than china, japan, you friends combined and they are turning their back on us. we will trade with other allies and partners around the world. >> there are a number of steel and aluminum companies in the u.s. that welcomed the tariffs on foreign imports. i want to talk about what a steel and aluminum person said, no matter how low they bid -- we did, they are decimating our market. >> most of them have assets on both sides of the border. if you look at the steel industry, it is integrated in north america and the big ones have assets on both sides. on the aluminum side, there is a reason why you see smelters in canada. we have the people, the energy, and we have the know-how to do that. imagine during the war, in the

second world war, you had the largest sites in canada producing aluminum for all of the allies in the world. they were protected by soldiers and military bases. there is a reason we have been the strongest and most reliable supplier of aluminum. that goes into the auto sector, aerospace, defense. i speak to as many u.s. ceos as canadian ceos and european ceos are calling us and saying in the words of jim farley of ford, this is creating chaos. some people are bidding because they don't know what the price is going to be. we can't manage an economy on the complex supply chain. we will undermine the competitiveness of north america and that will be detrimental to national security. >> president trump has made clear he believes tariffs are about leveling the playing field internationally, not just with canada.

are you confident canadian leaders like doug ford will be able to negotiate an agreement with the trump administration? >> we will be doing that at the federal level. we are working with our provincial colleague premier ford. what he has been able to do is bring the message to the american people. initially, i think the american people thought this was a tariff on canada but they are now understanding this is attacks -- a tax on americans. it is hurting industry and making america weaker. i was at the inauguration of president trump, when he said we want the golden age of america. to do that you need to work with your biggest customer, canada, and with your allies around the world. you can't turn your back on the u.k. or australia, new zealand and japan, the eu, and expect to be more competitive. we need to turn that around and work together because at the end of the day, if we are more

competitive, we can bring back economic security and ensure national security not only now but the jury -- for the future. >> thank you very much for joining us on bbc news. >> always a pleasure. >> officials from the u.s. and ukraine are increasing pressure on russia to agree to. a cease-fire proposal. president trump says officials are on the way to russia now to discuss the plan which kyiv agreed to tuesday during peace talks with the delegation from the u.s. led by secretary of state rubio. under the proposal there would be a 30 day cease-fire, the swapping of prisoners of war, and the return of ukrainian children abducted and taken to russia. on his way back from the peace talks, secretary rubio addressed reporters in ireland where his plane stopped for refueling. he reiterated comments that the ball is in russia's court. >> we eagerly await the russian

response and urge them to consider ending all hostilities so people will stop dieting and bullets will stop flying and we can define a permanent peace. we will see what the response is. if the response is yes, we know we have made progress and there is a chance at peace. if the response is no, it would be unfortunate and would make their intentions clear. >> secretary rubio landed in canada with a meeting with the g7 foreign ministers. our state department correspondent has been traveling with the secretary and u.s. delegation and sent this report from quebec. >> a few things clarified by the secretary of state as he spoke to us on the way to canada. the first was really about the next steps in this joint american and ukrainian call for an immediate cease-fire. and contact with the russians. they said the ball is in russia's court and there was due to be contact with moscow today.

he wouldn't clarify what were on what level that would take place. but it is a sense of the urgency with which the trump administration wants to do all of this. he said this is about how they wanted the world to look within days in terms of using diplomacy. i think that will enhance some of the criticisms there have been around this, the idea of trying to rush truce would embolden the invading power. the americans say this is about using diplomacy rather than fighting. i asked rubio about, what is a lukewarm reference in the joint statement to the role of the europeans in the process, as he meets g7 foreign ministers. i asked about european peacekeepers. he would not commit on that, saying instead that there were a number of different options for creating deterrence on the ground. >> as pressure mounts on russia,

president putin was shown on russian tv visiting troops. in the kursk region. president putin, marking his first visit since kursk was captured by ukraine but ukraine says they recaptured the territory. president putin said they should treat captured ukrainians as terrorists. i was primed minister -- the irish prime minister visited the white house with a visit with you -- u.s. president trump. they met as part of the st. patrick's day engagements and touched on issues the trump administration is dealing with including the war in ukraine and tariffs. caitriona perry has more. >> the annual greening of washington, were suits and ties are green, the white house found behind me is green, is an important part of irish foreign policy, keeping a strong connection between the u.s. and ireland, built on a

person-to-person level, 10% of americans lame irish heritage. but the relationship is in focus because of the trade war between the u.s. and the eu. president trump described ireland as taking advantage of the united states and doubling down on his view that the eu must pay and reciprocal tariffs would be levied. ireland has a trade surplus with the united states, something president trump has described as unfair. at the meeting in the oval office, the irish president said it is only a pushback -- it is actually a trade deficit and pointing to the number of irish companies who employ americans based in the united states. slightly different to the way the meetings would normally go, both men took questions from reporters for 45 or 50 minutes and lots of newsmaking lines there as well. president trump saying some of his team were on the ground in

russia to foster a cease-fire talk in relation to ukraine, the deal agreed between the ukraine and the u.s. earlier in the week. on gaza he said there would be no relocating of the palestinian people in whatever next step in the cease-fire deal. the day began with the vice president hosting the irish president for breakfast. in a little while, there will be the official presentation of the shamrock from the taoiseach to the president. >> returning to the tariffs, which president trump has used to force countries to stop the flow of migrants and illegal drugs into the u.s. including fentanyl, which killed 70,000 americans in 2023 alone. most of it is made in mexico and smuggled across the border. our correspondent and camera journalist have been looking at where it is made and the impact

it is having. the report contains images of people using the drug. >> were mexico and the united states meet, the ground is shifting. it is saturday night and every drug, every vice is served on the streets of tijuana. here, it is dangerous being a cop so for their safety, they keep their faces covered when they are on patrol. this small town dealer is caught with coke and meth. these are still good business for the cartels, but nothing makes the money like fentanyl. this deadly business, and the cartels, are attracting attention like never before. if mexico can't get a grip on its criminals, america says it will do it for them. >> this is cartel country, the heart of the fentanyl trade.

the drug is 50 times more potent than heroin, 100 times more powerful than morphine. tonight i will meet the man behind the trade that is killing tens of thousands of americans every year. we are coming up to the neighborhood. we can't be seen filming around here. they don't want us to give away their location. >> the u.s. has these men and it's sites. the cartel has been declared a terrorist organization. despite the threats, they say it is business as usual. this batch could possibly kill thousands. at their request, their voices have been altered. >> it is a dangerous drug. very deadly. more than that, if you don't know how to use it, you are going to be in big trouble. >> why do you sell fentanyl?

>> it's not that i want to do it . people ask for that, you know? we know it's bad but that is what they are asking. that is what they want. >> you ever feel guilty about all the people who it is killing? >> yes. but if i don't do it, anybody is going to do it. i don't feel guilty for all the people, you know? that's the truth. i feel guilty because we have family, too, like you and everybody. of course we feel guilty but if i stop it will continue. it is not my problem, you know? >> the shipment will go through a legal border crossing in the fuel tank of the scar. -- this car. right under the noses of u.s. customs officers. this is one car, one driver,

5000 pills. the same thing has happened in hundreds of safehouses across the border, ready to flood america with more fentanyl. the men here tell us, the trade is unstoppable. mr. trump is determined to stop the drugs trade. >> last time he was in office he tried to do the same thing and it never happened. i think it is never going to end. there will always be a demand. what is the biggest demand? the united states. >> there is no greater demand in the united states than in philadelphia's kensington avenue. rose refuses to be a bystander in america's opioid crisis. >> for you good? you have to pull your pants up. she was laid out. it is the drug. once you take it, you will fall

out wherever. that is where she ended up. on the sidewalk like that. that shouldn't be normal. that shouldn't be normal at all. we can keep walking. i will get off this block. >> she runs a center for attic. --addicts. she says she will never leave. >> i still have my bun on. kind of cool, right? >> the war on drugs is being lost on america's streets. there are casualties on every corner. fentanyl and the tranquilizer xylazine are used openly. >> sir, you have to get up. you are at a turnstile. yo. he is ok. this stuff is so deadly. if you are not used to the supply, it can be very addictive. very dangerous.

>> at sunshine house, users are at their most desperate. their most vulnerable. rose dispenses hugs. >> thank you so much. this is so much help for us. i appreciate you being here, i do. >> is somewhere safe for those trapped in addiction. >> you treat us like human beings. >> it has been a lifeline for him. >> i have been in the city all my life. the fentanyl, the opioid epidemic is the worst i have ever seen. fentanyl will get you so hooked. you have to get more. they are putting it in everything. >> fentanyl has cost them so much. >> i get very emotional when i talk about the stuff. >> here, when they collapsed,

there is someone around to pick them up again. >> it's just a chair. she didn't bump her head. we are good. >> it is a disease. if i don't get it together, it will be the death of me. i have seen -- been sinking deeper into a pit. >> john's life is in the suitcase he dragged through the streets. he survived one fentanyl overdose already, but at 56 he doesn't think he will survive another. >> the problem we have come of the war on drugs didn't work then on i don't think it will work now. >> rose petals on the streets -- battles on the streets against fentanyl overdoses and despite america's pressure on mexico, she does not expect that to change anytime soon. >> when there is one substance taken away, there is another that will replace it. when there was heroin, now there is no more and there is

fentanyl. when there is no fentanyl, it will be xylazine. they will find a way to keep people addicted so people can make money off people come off the suffering of people. >> this young woman, found overdosed, was later revived. a grim reality, america's opioid dependence he just as dangerous as mexico's cartels. quentin sommerville, bbc news. >> let's take a look at other stories from around the world. clashes broke out in argentina's capital during a protest against the government's economic reforms. police deployed tear and pepper spray on protesters. football fans joined a weekly demonstration against austerity measures introduced by the president. protesters demand higher pensions to shore up retirement and have been met with a strong

police presence. president trump's middle east envoy is in qatar for talks. israel wants a two month extension to the first phase of the cease-fire starting with the release of half of the living hostages still held. hamad swats talks -- what hamas wants talks. the pakistani military's is in operation to rescue train passengers taken hostage has ended. over 300 hostages have been freed from the train, which was seized by gunmen in a province on tuesday. 30 three rebels were killed during the assault. 21 civilian hostages and four soldiers were killed before the operation began. before we go, two astronauts unexpectedly still in space nine months after they took off, are closer to heading back to earth. the astronauts took off her what

was supposed to be an eight day stay on the international space station last june but the trip was extended after there were concerns about the safety of their starliner ship. a spacex capsule is set to launch from florida with three astronauts and one cosmonaut to the station and that will pave the way for the astronauts to return later this week on a different spacex capsule that has been in space since september. every -- if everything goes on -- as planned, they could be back on earth monday. thank you for watching. you can go to our website, bbc.com/news, for the latest. for all of us in was narrator: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... bdo, accountants and advisors, funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation, the judy and peter blum kovler foundation, upholding freedom by strengthening democracies at home and abroad.

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♪ amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff bennett is away. on the "newshour" tonight, the european union and canada announce retaliatory tariffsn